Lifter and carrier



April 1, 1969 'r. A. PASQUINE LIFTER AND CARRIER Filed Sept. 29, 1967 FIG. I

FIGS

FIG. 2

INVENTOR. TONY A. PASOU/NE FIG.4

ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 29462 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A lifter and carrier for small heavy boxes including pivoted arms with opposed jaws and a handle on one of the arms adjacent the pivot.

This invention relates to a lifting and carrying device particularly adapted for handling relatively small heavy packages, for example, packages of asphalt or plastic floor tile, or the like.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a simple and inexpensive carrier which can be applied to a box and engage thereon by lifting the carrier to bring opposed jaws into engagement against the sides of the box.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a lifting and carrying device in which jaws are provided that will frictionally engage a small heavy box or package so that the same may be lifted and carried by a workman using only one hand.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a lifting and carrying device wherein alternate jaw constructions are possible at the option of the user.

The problem of handling small heavy packages or boxes, and particularly those in which asphalt floor tile are packed, has long been an annoyance to dealers and others handling such products. Asphalt and vinyl floor tile and similar products are formed in 9 inch and 12 inch squares, and a number of these individual tiles are packed in superimposed relation in a box which weighs from 25 to 35 lbs., depending upon the material of the floor tiles. In order to pick up one of these boxes and move it, as is necessary in placing the boxes in inventory or moving them in a store or other display space, or in delivery to a customer, it is necessary that a workman squeeze the box between his opposed hands utilizing considerable muscular effort in order to be able to pick them up, at least to the point where he can get his fingers beneath the box. For this reason the boxes are frequently dropped and the corners of the asphalt or vinyl tiles damaged.

The present invention relates to a simple, inexpensive and practical lifting and carrying device which is particularly suitable for picking up such boxes of floor tiles, and it may then be used to carry them, so that a workman can easily use two of these tools and pick up two boxes of tiles and carry them to a new location.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which Will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being the intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the lifting and carrying device, broken lines illustrating a box of floor tiles to be picked up, and an alternate position of one of the arms of the device.

3,436,112 Patented Apr. 1, 1969 FIGURE 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 of FIG- URE 1, and

FIGURE 4 illustrates a modification of the carrying aw.

'By referring to the drawings, and FIGURE 1 in particular, it will be seen that the lifting and carrying tool disclosed herein comprises a pair of angular arms formed of tubular material. The left arm 10 has a vertical section 11 with a transversely positioned channel-shaped jaw 12 secured adjacent its lowermost end. The longitudinal edges of the channel-shaped jaw are serrated as at 13. An angular handle 14 is secured to the arm 10 inwardly from its outer jaw carrying end, and the horizontal section thereof is spaced and parallel with the plane of an inverted =U-shaped housing 15 which is secured to the handle 14 and in oppositely disposed relation to the arm 10. Oppositely disposed opening 16 in the housing 15 receives a pivot pin 17 comprising a bolt by means of which a second arm 18 is pivoted to the arm 10. It will be observed that the pivot 17 is located substantially midway of the horizontal portion of the handle 14 and spaced therebelow. The arm 18 extends horizontally outwardly and downwardly in a downward extension 19 which is supplied with a channel-shaped jaw 20, the edges of the channel being serrated as at 21.

It will be seen that the jaws 12 and 20 are in directly opposed relation to one another so that a package may be positioned therebetween and engaged on its opposite sides thereby. Such a package is illustrated in broken lines in FIGURE 1, and indicated by the letter P.

Broken lines in FIGURE 1 show an alternate positioning of the arm 18 with its depending end 19 and jaw 20, where it is moved on the pivot 17 by a finger lift 22 which is attached to the arm 18 by a rivet 23. The finger lift enables the users hand normally positioned on the handle 14 to engage the lift 22 and lift the arm 18 and the jaw 20 away from the box or to open the lifter and carrier when it is positioned on a box as shown in FIG URE 1 of the drawings. When the finger lift 22 is released the arm 18 and the jaw 20 will drop by reason of gravity to the position shown in solid lines, and lifting action supplied the handle 14 will thereupon lift the package as the construction and arrangement of the pivots and location of the jaws relative thereto result in a tong-like action squeezing the sides of the box or package being lifted so as to suitably engage the jaws 12 and 20 thereagainst.

By referring now to FIGURE 2 of the drawings, a plan view of the jaw 12 may be seen, and it will be observed that it is relatively long and that the serrated edges 13 are spaced sufliciently with respect to one another so that two separate and distinct points of engagement are made on the package or object to be lifted. It will be understood that the jaw 20 is a duplicate of the jaw 12, except that its position is reversed.

Still referring to FIGURE 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that the base of the channel shape of the jaw 12 is provided with a pair of spaced openings 24. These are provided so that a soft rubber jaw piece 25, such as seen in FIGURE 4 of the drawings, may be positioned in the channel-shaped jaw 12 and secured by pushing a distortable plug 26 through each of the openings 24. The soft rubber jaw 25 is of a thickness greater than the depth of the channel-shaped jaw 12 so that its surface brought into engagement with the article to 'be lifted is beyond the serrated edges 13 of the jaw 12. It will be understood that a similar soft rubber jaw piece is used in the jaw 20 when such rubber jaws are employed. In many instances the increased frictional contact of the rubber jaw 3: pieces 25 may be advantageously used in picking up articles which might be damaged or scratched by the serrated metal jaws 12 and 20 heretofore referred to, and the user is thereby given the option of choosing the particular jaw desired.

In FIGURE 3 of the drawings a cross sectional detail of the pivot pin 17 may be seen, and the spacing of the inverted U-shaped housing 15 with respect to the arm 18 may be seen.

It will thus be seen that a lifting and carrying device meeting the several objects of the invention has been disclosed, and having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A lifter and carrier device comprising a pair of oppositely disposed arms, each of which has a horizontal and a vertical section, transversely positioned elongated jaws on each of the vertical sections of said arms, said jaws comprising channel-shaped members with their open areas in oppositely disposed relation to one another, the edges of said channel members being serrated, an angular handle formed on one of said arms, an inverted U-shaped housing secured to the handle in oppositely disposed relation to said arm, and the other of said arms extending into said inverted U-shaped housing, a pivot pin positioned through openings in said inverted U-shaped housing and the other of said arms, and a finger lifter member secured to said other arm in spaced relation to said handle.

2. The lifter and carrier device set forth in claim 1 and wherein soft rubber jaw pieces are disposed in said channel-shaped jaws and are of a dimension extending outwardly with respect to said serrated edges and means on said rubber pieces engaging openings in said channelshaped jaws -for holding the same thereon.

3. The lifter and carrier device set forth in claim 1 and wherein said handle and said pivot are located substanti ally midway between said opposed elongated jaws and spaced vertically with respect thereto and with respect to one another.

4. The lifter and carrier device set forth in claim 1 and wherein the angular handle member forms an offset extension of one of said arms, with the offset portion thereof spaced above the pivoted end of the other of said arms and arranged so that lifting motion imparted said handle elevates said pivot and moves the vertical sections of said arms to an angle facilitating engagement of said jaws on an object to be lifted.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 805,780 11/1905 Cary et al 294--62 809,146 1/1906 Skov et al 29462 1,581,077 4/1926 Mosier 294'62 2,368,978 2/ 1945 Fink 29462 3,339,966 9/1967 Carlson 2948l ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Primary Examiner. 

